La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12oz. foil-capped bottle with a best by date of 4-17-06.

Appearance: Poured an absolutely wonderful cloudy blond color with a huge and creamy-smooth white head that refuses to back down. All sorts of sticky lace coats the glass. Truly beautiful.

Smell: In a nutshell...complex. Ripe bannanas, pepper, orange peel, a little bit of alcohol, and some pepper..

Taste: A "yeasty" flavor emerges first. Lots of fruity flavors as well. Warming effect from the alcohol peeks through. Finishes with an almost "wheat-like" flavor. Nice dose of slight bittering at the end. Finishes very clean with almost no aftertaste. Complex and excellent.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability: Super smooth. Medium...almost high levels of carbonation. Very easy on the palate. Drinkability is way up there. Such a complex flavor profile as it crosses the palate. Wonderful in every aspect. Another winner from Unibroue.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2003 02:35:35 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

Elemental

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Extremely light hazy color with a centimeters worth of head. Beutifully colored and a lot lighter than I expected. Good aroma but has an alomost rubbery smell which appears in the taste but not in a bad way. Aroma is light and wheaty. The taste is light, wheaty and incredible mellow for such a strong beer. The alcohol was almost none existant. Not very bitter and lightly spiced. Overall a great beer with a good balance of aroma and taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2003 02:45:57 | More by Elemental

moulefrite

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance all plosive, puffy and proud with a pinpoint prickly persona. Damn good brew! Pours yellow yet hazy and a touch golden. Champagne like carbonation with bubbles actively heading towards the beer's surface. Good headage that keeps puffing with swirling. Aromatics include tropical fruit, creme caramel and pecan pie. A wonderfully complex brew that hints of exotic fruits, anise, and ripe melon. In the mouth a nice interplay between sweet and bitter. Very warming indeed, with a touch of anteseptic!! One may be all I need, but this drinkability here is high as this beer simply rocks. It is sooo damn good! Practicably pornographic!!

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2003 01:53:42 | More by moulefrite

steelreign

New York

4.72/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

What's this? A Belgian strong ale made in Quebec?? Yes, that's right, and what an amazing brew. Dense off white head that seems to stick to the glass with ease. Aroma of spices, yeast, malt, alcohol and fruity esters. Wonderful!

Oh man, the stuff just flows in your mouth and the dried aged fruity tastes and malt explode across your palette! Tingly bubbly feel and slight hop to balance the big bold taste out nicely. A bigger beer in this style would be hard to attain. The alcohol is barely noticed until either it warms sufficiently or you try to stand up. Well done! Another winner from Unibroue, eh?

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2003 20:07:40 | More by steelreign

byrd

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer poured with a small bubbly head that slowly dissipated to lace that was perpetuated by the carbonation cascading from the sides of the glass. Nice cloudy, light golden hue. Particles of yeast could be seen floating around the glass. Sweet, fruity malt aroma with notes of banana and yeast. Some slight alcohol was also apparent on the nose with a touch of hops. Carbonation hits the tongue first leading to a very fluffy mouthfeel. Nice combination of yeast, fruits and spices. There’s a slight alcohol warming sensation throughout the glass, but it’s never overbearing. Sweetness is well balance by mild hop bitterness and never becomes cloying. Finish is slightly bitter, but aftertaste is primarily a lingering of the spices. Quite a drinkable beer for the ABV level. Got to be careful with this one or there could be trouble!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2003 17:31:41 | More by byrd

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brownish straw color with a voluminous white head.
Bitey aroma of clove, yeast, alcohol, and banana.

Taste is crisp and bitey. Lots of spice in the tart flavor. Clove and alcohol have a strong presence. The beer doesn't support this high of an ABV IMHO. Malt and hops take a backseat to everything else going on in this beer.

Lots of carbonation in the mouthfeel.
Drinkability is good despite the high ABV.

Overall, a good beer, but definitely not my favorite Unibroue.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2003 04:00:16 | More by PhantomVodoo

daledeee

Iowa

4.88/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours cloudy yellow. smells fruity and yeasty.Nice one inch white head and holds it's lace well. Fruity tasting with bubbly champagne like carbonation. Tart fruit, possibly pears along with bread. I like beer that is bubbly. Not much malt or hops up front. Alchohol is also well hidden. I cannot pick out what the finish on the back of my tongue is. I must say in this category there is some very strong competition, but it is hard to find a better tripel. This is one fine beer and a dangerous beer. Way too drinkable!! The key is proper storage, since our system is run by the state storage must be proper since it makes different batches taste differently.

Note: As I drink this beer more, I like it more. I am raising it's rating.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2003 00:18:00 | More by daledeee

WesWes

New York

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a cloudy light golden color with a 1/4" frothy white head. The aroma is quite fruity. There are spicey accents with a hint of cloves. The taste is refreshing. Again, the spices are present. This a light beer that really goes down smooth. There is excellant carbonation and a low body. This is a great sessions beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2003 11:45:25 | More by WesWes

Andreji

Colombia

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Came into this with very, very high expectations. Wasn't disappointed at all.

Pours a cloudy and opaque gold/tan tone which seems very pale and has rather a medium fizzy white head that fades and leaves a small coating on the beer with little lacing behind.

The smell, a little hard to define. At first appeared even fishy but then releases excellent aromas of wheat and malts, somewhat sweet and strong smell. nice, not that great.

The taste is truly exceptional. Very wheaty with a slight feel of lemon which complements it beautifully and helps to harmoniously hide its elevated ABV, only felt slightly at the end mixed with the delicious slight hoppy compliment to the taste.

Wow, an exceptional brew that can fool you if you drink too many (and attack your pocket). Worth its place on the list.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2003 05:16:13 | More by Andreji

RoyalT

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Absolute monster head. The bottle foamed over when I popped the top even though it had been sitting quietly in my fridge for a week. The body is an extremely cloudy example of deep yellow with a hint of orange.

Smell – This is very interesting. The yeast comes out big in the aroma. It is well complimented by various spices, most notabley clove and garlic. There’s also a pleasing lemon scent.

Taste – This is a real heavy hitter. The lemon flavor comes out a little bit more in the taste. The yeast is big and bountiful. The powdery spices take a back seat but are still present. This is an excellent representation of the style.

Mouthfeel – Big, mouth-filling carbonation with this one.

Drinkability – If you like BSPAs, you have to give this one a try. The Unibroue interpretation of this style is interesting indeed. It went down very well and left me wanting for more (I chinced and bought the 12 oz bottle).

Comments – This one had a real hefeweitzen base, but goes off in its own direction rather quickly. An “A” for originality if nothing else. A must try for fans of the style.

Update – I reviewed this shortly after joining the site in Aug ’03 so decided to re-review it with a 2004 vintage. This really is a great example of a BSPA, and now after having reviewed over 200 Belgian Ales I am really able to appreciate the craftsmanship of this particular ale. I’m raising the overall score from 4.3 to 4.5.

Update – The 2005 vintage lacked that explosive head of yesteryear that actually kind of annoyed me but otherwise was just about the same. I really enjoy the unique garlicky character of the aroma. Two thumbs up – a solid 4.5.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2003 02:32:46 | More by RoyalT

DarrellK

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Surprisingly mild for a 9% abv brew. Aroma is pleasant but not too strong. Color is quite pale and was a bit cloudy. Head was full with small bubbles that lasted through the finish. Both the mouth and finish a strong characteristic and typical for the style. It is quite polished and very much like a Chimay, and in this case a brew I slighly prefer to the Chimay.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2003 15:15:43 | More by DarrellK

Brian700

Michigan

3.55/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled from a 750ml bottle. Corked and all. Classy but not a brew for monday night football. I can appreciate this sort of thing but this one just didn't do a whole lot for me.

Pours a nice crisp yellow with a yeasty aroma. Great mouthfeel, but the flavour was a not doing much for the o'l taste buds. I must be fair in that this was the only sample I've had and I did not take note of the "best by" date. I should try it again because it really did sound like something that would be right up my alley.

I hope it was just a bad sample, but if not, it really did taste like the End of the World.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2003 07:04:49 | More by Brian700

xgrigorix

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Twelve ounce brown twist cap bottle, with best by date clearly marked on back.

Bright blazing gold, with a blossoming, tight white head. When the yeast is added it goes cloudy, & bright yellow, almost like a wit. The head takes on a much creameir look after the yeast pour.

Bright punchy aroma, sweet & inviting. Its not as punchy after the yeast pour, but an earthy quality is added to the nose.

A rather clean tasting ale. Straight forward malt sweetness, a touch of tart apple like flavours, & some pepper. A dry finish with a subtle but effective hop character. Some solvent flavour lingers. Some earthy / herbal flower qualities are added with the yeast. It also becomes more peppery.

Medium bodied while still being somewhat soft, with pinpoint carbonation.

Quite a nice Belgian strong pale ale. It features a refined sophitication that I enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2003 17:04:09 | More by xgrigorix

Loki

North Carolina

4.83/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled from a 12oz bottle at Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe in Lake Buena Vista (aka Orlando), FL with a best before date of 08-06-2006. I think I safely made it before this one went bad, but it was close. JK. Oh and they had the proper glassware for both La Fin Du Monde & Blanche De Chambly.

Poured a hazy, opaque pale yellow-orange with a big, foamy white head. Each sample left streams of lacing all around the glass, but they had some trouble with gravity.

Very fragrant. Roasted malt, yeast, citrus, esters, fruit, and caramel candy all over the nose. There were more scents I couldn't pick out. Very complex, yet very alluring and enticing. The scents could draw you to the end of the world, which is what the name means. (Even says so on the back label.)

The taste is just as complex and enticing as the nose. The pleasure begins with sweet roasted malt and citrus flavors that glide into yeast, dough, and orange savory elements that then dance on your tongue into esters and ever so slight hops for the finish. Medium to medium-full body and a clean finish and transition. A truly wonderful beer and a first rate, top notice contender.

One of the better beers I've had to date. Definitely in the top 20.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2003 19:07:48 | More by Loki

Ellbert

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Apperance: A decent appearance. A large white and crisp head forms when poured. This disappates quickly as does with most high alcohol lighter colored beers I had tasted have. Color is a light straw.

Smell: A nice spicy smell. No alcohol in the nose what so ever.

Taste: Sweet and fruity but spicy and bity. A fruity sweetness is first then it goes to the spiciness. After that you can taste an alcohol warming.

Mouthfeel: A nice rich mouthfeel. Much richer than other lighter colored beers I have had.

Drinkability: Very drinkable considering the 9%. I would have another one.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2003 02:10:02 | More by Ellbert

yen157

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Very coarse, foamy head. Brownish-yellow and hazy with some chunks that accidentally got poured. Lively, almost painful carbonation cause quite a row in the mouth. Once the beer had sat for 15minutes or so the bubbles because manageable. Spicy yeast give the beer most of its character. Good pale malt presence to spar with the yeast and hops. A good beer, but not one of my favorites from these guys. IMHO it’s way over-hyped.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2003 15:30:53 | More by yen157

ManekiNeko

Virginia

4.83/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served cold from a 750 mL bottle with cork and cage. I used a Corsendonk glass as it was the closest in shape to the one pictured on the Unibroue website.

Appearance: Pale golden yellow, cloudy from the yeast. Very strong and fast forming head composed of itty-bitty bubbles. Slight lacing occured as this glorious elixir was consumed.

Smell: Strong smell of pepper and coriander followed by fruity smells, mostly orange and lemon.

Taste: Powerful spicy and fruity flavors (as noted above) giving way to malt with just a titch of hoppy crispness at the end. Lingering glimpses of other fruits like banana and pear danced across my tongue as I pondered another sip. The alcohol can be sensed lurking in the background.

Mouthfeel: Effervescent, crisp and smooth. Not too watery, not too oily.

Drinkability: _Extremely_ drinkable, despite (and maybe in spite of) the alcohol content. I feel sorry I only bought one of these... thank God there's more at the store!!!

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2003 23:34:18 | More by ManekiNeko

slitherySOB

Ontario (Canada)

5/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Went to a bar called "Brude." They had this on cask, and I knew I must try it. Oh Lordy, just beautiful. Dark gold hue, yeast sediment and a perfect head. The smell teases you, letting you know this is not just any beer, this is nectar. Beautiful, full bodied taste. Malty, nice bitter hops, fruity ester dances across your tongue in some sort of mystical ballet. Smooth, heavy mouthfeel that leaves you always wanting more, more, more. If their ever was a time I could only drink one beer for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Serving type: cask

07-31-2003 01:31:42 | More by slitherySOB

mikeys01

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried my first Fin today, out of a bomber+ size 25.4 oz corked bottle. The fin du monde pours out frothy as can be, with a very light white head that filled half the glass on a slow pour. No problem, worth the wait for it to settle. Carbonation level is actually pretty moderate, despite all the initial effervescence.
Smells both malty and yeasty, reminds me a bit of a hefe at first, then I detect a bit of grape sneaking up from around the corner it seems.
First sip is surprisingly light, not quite what I expected. Only a hint of bitterness, then I get a nice warmth surrounded by plenty of citrus orangey flavor, interesting. The cirtrus is very well balanced by the body of the beer and a nice finishing sweetness. The bottle conditioning keeps the carbonation from overpowering the flavor, and lends a nice softness to the texture. I didn't even notice the high alcohol content until I was well into the bottle, you kind of just ease into it like an old la-z-boy recliner.
Although not spectacular, I'd call the fin du monde eminently drinkable, and I'll indeed sample it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2003 23:44:42 | More by mikeys01

Mustard

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12oz. brown bottle with "best before" date -- in this case 04/17/06 -- stamped on the back label; $6.99/4 from Bob's Market in Santa Monica; illuminated graphic of the 51st American state on the label.

Appearance: pours a hazy gold with a white, six-fingered, macro-bubble head; great retention; heavy -- albeit unprincipled -- lacing.

Aroma: Sweet and spicy; all the usual descriptors apply -- peppery, clove-like, notes of tropical fruit, etc.

Taste: A drier, yeastier version of smell; subtle traces of orange, cinammon and smoke pervade.

Notes: I can't say I'm blown away. Complex, to be sure, but do all the varied notes add up to a "top twenty" brew? Mustard was hoping for a bit more ...

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2003 08:05:34 | More by Mustard

ngandhi

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pour: Even poured slowly into a 16 oz. goblet, FDM explodes with a three inch head. My thought is that this beer is hell bent on filling whatever size glass you put it in. When the foam mellows, it still leaves a head you'd expect out of most beers on the initial pour. To the last drop, there's a good cm or two of head, not lace, that coats the beer like a white chocolate ganache. Incidentally, when you finish the beer, you'll notice the foam covers the glass from the bottom to up to three inches up!

Nose: Spicy citrus. Green grapes. Green apple skins. Very ripe, natural. Almost mentholated from the alcohol, but not unpleasant. Not too special compared to other Belgian-style beers.

Taste: A medium dry sparkling wine. Pronounced clove. There's a typical grapefruit bitterness that strikes first on the back of the tongue, but it isn't too strong. The sides of the tongue are also activated nicely if you swish the beer around and lend a flavor of orange rinds or even a light orange sherbert. The high alcohol offers its own taste that works with the beer as, itself, a FLAVOR and not a harsh reminder of what's inside. Light smoke. Indeed, the sweet and sour of the citrus balance the 9% abv and make this beer very drinkable. A sweeter saison?

Mouthfeel: Creamy because of the bottle-conditioning. Again, FDM uses every charactertistic for a higher goal. Hacker-Pschorr and other weiss beers are "creamy" because of the yeast in the bottle, but that body often seems like a nice perk. The body here is part and parcel of the beer, working with the citrus to produce a delicately medium bodied, sherbert or a lightly carbonated champagne.

Drinkability: The creamy body encourages you to swirl this beer around. It wants to romance the sides and back of your tongue. The hoppy/alcohol finish does remind you what you are dealing with and to proceed with caution.

Notes: On many sips, I've had this beer hit the back of my tongue and then swallowed. If it doesn't touch the sides, this beer might only be mediocre. Let your tongue swim in it, if only briefly. The molecules have to be seperated to adequately soften the phenols. The alcohol does balance well, but there could be, perhaps, one more element to this beer with another hop or the alcohol being subdued just a little more. I'll be trying to wrap my finger around this for years to come. An expert job to make, and perhaps to understand.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2003 23:07:24 | More by ngandhi

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

More bounce to the ounce, La Fin Du Monde has it going on in all directions. I really thought it was the end of the world when I first tried this 10 years ago as a young'un and drank it straight from a 750 ml bottle at a house party--took me 4 hours of intestinal fortitude to finish that bad boy off.

However times have changed, I've grown older, if not any more wiser, and have learned to enjoy many more of these over the years. It POURS from this particular 750 ml brown bottle a hazy pale straw colour with good carbonation and some suspended particles. Big white bubbly head that lasts a while. Aroma of hay, apricots, pepper, some grassy notes. Flavour doesn't hit me until the finish and then the aftertaste where the sweet malt and spices start to kick in, plus a little bit of citrus. A lot going on in the palate of this ale. Mouthfeel is thick and somewhat boozy, but to be expected for the 9% abv, yet goes down a lot smoother than most ales of this caliber.

Back in the day I used to jokingly refer to this stuff as a bowl of cereal in a bottle. Nowadays I'd agree to the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and would advocate an "end of the world" to start off anyone's day.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2003 00:38:09 | More by IronDjinn

granger10

Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

This was the first Belgian I ever had. The appearance threw me off a little b/c of the cloudy orangish color and texture. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I loved it. I have come back to this beer time and again. It has a very creamy smoothness that I really love. The taste is of tropical fruity sweetness and some spicy alcohol. Finishes long and dry with more fruityness. A great introduction to the world of Belgians for me!

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2003 07:50:27 | More by granger10

oberon

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My favorite offering from Unibroue,pours a hazy yellow with a gigantic blooming head,the aroma was very spicey and smokey with a slight tartness in the finish.There is a nice sweetness to this beer,a nice spiciness in the middle and a fruity finish.I get this underlying smokiness to this beer its very appetizing,a true hand crafted beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2003 06:36:09 | More by oberon

far333

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Hazy pale yellow with a huge off-white head with quickly bursting tiny bubbles. The head drops quickly, but settles about a quarter inch above the liquid. Smell is mostly sweet lemon, some yeast, and a bit of pine. Flavor is rich and sweet. Flavor is a bit of yeast, then warm honey melts in the mouth, and finishes with some undertones of butterscotch and pine. Mouthfeel is very smooth and velvety. Aftertaste lingers long and delivers more honey. This beer holds its complexity to the last drop, and is surprisingly smooth for the alcohol that it delivers. Very tasty, but low drinkability because it is so rich.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2003 19:26:04 | More by far333